For Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, the brief visit to Bahrain shortly before Christmas was just one of her many official duties, carried out as ever with grace and dignity.

She was visiting the Middle Eastern kingdom with her husband Prince Edward on behalf of the Queen, and the couple’s official duties included attending a banquet at the King of Bahrain’s palace on December 21.

The trip provided a welcome stopover following a morale-boosting visit to British troops in Afghanistan.

As is the custom – particularly in wealthy Arab states – official gifts were presented to the visiting dignitaries. Which is were the trouble began.

The gifts for the Countess included two lavish 'suites’ of gems from King Hamad al-Khalifa and prime minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa and a silver and pearl cup from the Crown Prince. Her husband was presented with a silk rug.

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The problem was that, in the wake of the Arab Spring, Bahrain’s brutal treatment of pro-democracy activists has raised concern around the world and accepting gifts from such a regime was bound to provoke controversy.

Buckingham Palace is now facing growing calls to return the jewels or sell them and donate the proceeds to victims of the regime’s repressive measures.

Critics say that the nature of the visit placed the Countess in the impossible position of having to accept the gifts from a regime whose human rights record was severely tarnished.

Denis MacShane, a former foreign minister, said: “Buckingham Palace should send back this gift or sell it and donate the proceeds to the victims of Bahraini repression. I’m sure the royal family have got enough jewellery to be getting on with. It’s not Sophie’s fault that she has been placed in this embarrassing situation, but the sooner this is dealt with the better. I’m afraid that when it comes to international relations diamonds are not a girl’s best friend.

Mr MacShane last night raised the matter in a letter to William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, stating: “The UK in all of its manifestations of state authority continues to soft-soap and turn a blind eye to the cruelties that take place under the ruling dynastic Khalifa elite family network. These people have been received at 10 Downing Street, continue to lavish presents on senior British representatives and seem to act as if they are under no pressure from Britain.”

Buckingham Palace refused to reveal details or the value of the suites of gems, which usually include three or more pieces, such as a necklace, bracelet and earrings. But when the Duchess of Cornwall was given three suites of jewellery by the Saudi royal family in 2007 they were estimated to be worth more than £2 million.

The Countess’s acceptance of the gift, revealed in a list of presents published by the palace, has once again placed the spotlight on the awkward question of relations between Britain’s royal family and some of the Middle East’s hard-line regimes.

The Crown Prince of Bahrain has been with the Queen in the Royal Box at Ascot and has hosted visits from both Prince Charles and Prince Andrew.

But his invitation to last year’s royal wedding between Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge prompted an outcry following his country’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. He declined to attend the wedding, which spared the royals further embarrassment.

The Bahraini uprising began in February last year as part of the wider Arab Spring, but demands from the country’s Shia majority for greater political freedom and equal treatment were ruthlessly suppressed by the Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim rulers.

More than 50 people were killed and almost 3,000 detained and tortured.

There was evidence that troops arrested and beat up doctors and nurses who had treated injured demonstrators, while there is continuing concern over the country.

Only last week the head of the Bahraini Commission on Human Rights, Nabeel Rajab, said he was severely beaten and arrested by police and critics maintain that torture and imprisonment are still being regularly used against activists.

The British government has maintained diplomatic relations with Bahrain, hoping to persuade it to introduce democratic reforms and avoid the worst of the bloodshed seen in Syria and Libya.

Just over a week before Sophie’s visit Alistair Burt, the minister for the Middle East and north Africa, visited Bahrain to meet senior members of the government.

But criticism by human rights groups of Britain’s approach to Bahrain has continued and the Countess of Wessex now finds herself in the middle of a political storm.

The controversy is unfortunate for the Countess, who has worked hard to re-establish her credibility as a member of the royal family after she was caught in a sting by the News of the World boasting of her connections to the royals, at time when she was running her own public relations firm.

Ann Clwyd, a Labour member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: “I would ask Sophie to think carefully about the situation in Bahrain and whether it was the right signal to send by visiting the country, and certainly by accepting such gifts, given the very difficult situation for the majority of the population of that country.

“I can’t tell any individual what they should do but I would suggest it’s a good idea for the Palace to follow what’s been going on in Bahrain in terms of repression and torture.”

Buckingham Palace said that official gifts, such as the jewels, are not the personal property of the royal family. Although the Countess can now wear the jewels at functions they remain the property of the Royal Collection.

But the Palace’s rules also state that members of the royal family should not accept gifts which would, or might appear to, place them “under any obligation to the donor”.

Its own guidelines state: “Before accepting any gift, careful consideration should always be given, wherever practicable, to the donor, the reason and occasion of the gift and the nature of the gift itself.

“In all cases, and particularly on official overseas trips, organisations and individuals should be discouraged from offering extravagant gifts, i.e. gifts of high monetary value.”

The guidelines also state that official gifts can be donated to a registered charity “where it is thought that it may be applied to the benefit of others”, though ordinarily this should only be done after five years.

There was confusion last night over who had approved and organised the Countess’s attendance at the banquet where she met the Bahraini royals.

Both the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence denied involvement in that element of the visit.

A Palace spokesman said: “All visits by members of the Royal Family are undertaken on the advice of the Foreign Office.”